Garden Paving Options For Your Backyard

Paving your outdoor space not only enhances the appearance of your backyard, but provides you with an amenity that will last a lifetime. You need to think carefully about the number of available options so that they sit well with your specific outdoor space.

The infrastructure of your backyard can only be enhanced by the building of pathways connecting the various structures in that yard. Garden paving will provide you with many advantages. During wet weather a grassy unpaved area will become muddy and unpleasant to walk upon. If there is a defined pathway leading to the backyard buildings etc. the elements of the backyard become linked as elements of the outdoor space.

A pathway which meanders through a beautiful garden invites you to explore what is around the next corner, or what hides behind the tree which is surrounded by daffodils.

You will find that there is a paving design to suit all kinds of garden environments. Paving slabs come in many and varied shapes, colours and sizes. Appropriate garden paving will improve the appearance of your outdoor space, and will give you years of pleasure, both from the point of view of the practical and the aesthetic.

The two fundamental kinds of garden paving material are composite and stone.

Composites offer a very diverse range of shapes and colours because of their manufactured origin. Prices vary accordingly, and there is bound to be something available for most garden paving options, from the points of view of cost, practicality and appearance.

Precast concrete pavers, which are available in many colours, sizes and shapes, are a good quality option to consider. Poured concrete gives you a lot of flexibility with shaping and aggregation. It is extremely durable and allows homeowners to be creative when planning and building their garden paving projects.

Another very popular paving option is bricks. Bricks are available in such a range that there is bound to be something available for most situations, and they can be put down in various patterns to create different results. Even if they are not always the most economical way to go, bricks are always worth considering, and it is true that bricks will feature in most paving projects to some degree.

Paving stones are another option that must be considered because of the large range of product available. Do shop around because it can be a little expensive sometimes.

Limestone is relatively easy to work with, but comes in a more limited range of colours. Although less durable than some of the other stones, slate is, nevertheless, one of the more favoured choices in terms of sheer beauty.

Granite is a more expensive option than most, but there is a good reason for that.It is extremely robust and comes in a great variety of colours

Sandstone is one of the most popular choices and is easier to work with than some other materials. It comes in a wide range of colours and shapes and tends to be less expensive than some other options.

It is a good idea to use a variety of materials in a paving project. There is no rule which says that only one material can be used per project, and the variations which can be achieved with creative mixtures of materials can be worth the effort.

In conclusion, just remember that no matter what your taste dictates, you will be able to find something you like for your garden paving from the wide range of available products and ideas. For much more detailed information on all aspects of paving please visit our Garden Paving website.

By: Adrian Broadby

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Adrian Broadby runs a website called GardenPaving.com. at www.garden-paving.com. He also runs a blog called Garden Paving.

The Beautiful Vines And Your Garden

A great way to decorate your garden is the use of vines. They are very low maintenance and look good on almost anything. If you've got a fence or separator that really stands out in the field of green that is your garden, then growing a vine over it can be a quick and aesthetically pleasing solution. However, there are many types of vines for different situations, whether you are trying to grow it up the side of a house, along the ground, or up a tree.

Many different ground vines are available. These types grow fast and strong, and just inch their ways along the ground. They are very easy to direct, so they can make a border around your garden, or just weave in and out of the plants. I suggest using these as a hardy ground cover if you just want some green on your dirt or mulch. Usually you can find a variety that is resistant to being stepped on. It's like a leafy, nice alternative to grass. Even if you have kids and a dog, it should have no problems staying alive.

Another type of vine that is available is a "twining" vine. This refers to their method of climbing. Twining vines require a lattice or equally porous surface to climb up, since they are not sticky at all. They just climb by sending out small tendrils to loop around whatever is nearby. I suggest using this type of vine for climbing up trees, or any type of mesh. Usually you have to guide them a lot more during their early stages, and after that they will go wherever you want them to.

Vines not only look good on the ground or on lattices, you can blend them in to the very architecture of your house. This is usually achieved through the use of vines with small tendrils that have adhesive tips. They extend from the vine and attach themselves to almost any surface. If your garden is adjacent to your house and you want something to camouflage the big unsightly wall, it's a great idea to start out a few vines near the base. If you have a vine like the Virginia Creeper growing, then your entire wall will be covered in a matter of months. However I have seen situations where the vine got out of control. After that, you have no choice but to watch the vine take over your entire house.

One of the vines that you would probably recognize is Ivy. You see it around a lot, generally because it is so adaptable. Out of the types I mentioned above (ground, twining, and sticky pads), Ivy can fill in for pretty much anything. It makes a great ground cover, and will grow up about any surface you put it on. Although it grows quick and strong, I wouldn't suggest growing it up your house. This is because recently, buildings which have had ivy for many years have found that it has been deteriorating the building.

So no matter what you want to do with a vine, you should have no problem getting it to grow. You should always do your research beforehand and find out about any negative qualities the vine has (such as its ability to destroy buildings, in Ivy's case.)

By: Josiah Smart

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Learn about gardenia facts and hydrangea facts at the Plants And Flowers site.

10 Amazing Uses For A Garden Building

Got some space in your garden and a bit of spare cash for something a little different?

Here's ten amazing things you could use a garden building for...

1.Create your very own super chic, garden room drinks bar - complete with cocktail shakers, icebuckets, glasses and paper umbrellas. Fantastic for garden parties and barbecues and a great place to escape to after work.

2.Pamper yourself in your own personal garden room spa. A whirlpool bath, massage chair, fabulous skin care products and a chic flic on a wide screen TV. Absolutely perfect for a girl's night in.

3.Build the ultimate model railway room and never have to clear it all away before guests arrive. Lay track all around the garden and watch the trains from the warmth of your own garden signal box.

4.Make room in your life for relaxation in a custom made garden chill out room. Lay on cool music and comfy chairs, turn the heat up high and sounds down low then lie back and unwind.

5.Get creative in a custom built garden room photographic studio. Lights camera and plenty of action will give you a whole range of images for business and pleasure. Add a top flight digital printer and just think of the money you could make!

6.Set up your own garden room brewery. Barrels, boilers, bottles, a glass fronted fridge and a nice comfy area for quality control could give you hours of pleasure. Okay, so you might not remember too much about it but...

7.Take up wood turning and fill your garden room with shavings. The possibilities are endless from giant pepper mills to lace making bobbins but best of all you get the satisfaction of doing something practical and making something beautiful.

8.If your house is crammed to the loft with children's toys then put together a purpose built garden playroom complete with closed circuit TV, intercom, cushioned floor and walls and loads of easy to access toy storage space. Special space for the rugrats means less Lego between the toes for you.

9.Communications can give you a whole new perspective on the world. A garden based CB Radio shack complete with a monster aerial could get you eyeballing all kinds of people you might never otherwise meet. Now that's a big 10-4 good buddy!

10.A garden building can easily have a glass roof so how about your own personal observatory complete with state of the art reclining chair, star gazer's telescope, star charts and a map of Mars. Out of this world!

By:

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Graham Baylis is as busy a business man as you can be and he knows that it's a well known fact that people need space to think, and what better space is there than a peaceful spot in your own back garden. This is just the thinking behind Garden Escape's unique range of Garden Buildings. Of course you can also use such space for business or pleasure, this list covering the FUN area. See www.thegardenescape.co.uk

Rustic Garden - Design It Yourself

A person that has just started their adventure with gardening and garden decor, and is about to arrange the garden by themselves might not be so enthusiastic at first. Many people ask friends and family for advice, read books, articles and magazines about garden decorating. But many are forgetting that it's their own garden and it should be designed for their own needs.

The garden is our own special place, and that's why we should start by analyzing our needs and expectations. We have to think early about how we use our garden. It's worth taking a piece of paper, writing all the suggestions and drawing the elements that already exist in the garden.

The next step is to give a sample of soil to a laboratory and then create a base of plants with a short description about all of them. It's worth dividing the plants into groups like grass, herbs, trees, flowers or even into more specified groups. From a list like this we can choose only the plants that we want to use in our garden.

When designing the garden it is important to think also about the style of it. Many designers are inspired by the latest fashion and forget all about the old trends in garden decorating. That's why most of contemporary gardens look very similar - have a small pond, rocks, grass, regular greenhouses and a few plants that can be bought from online catalogues.

Their similar looks give us very little to think about. When living in a big city the garden might be the only space that connects us with nature and a peaceful time. It's also the place where we can go back to the traditional elements, for example plants - not the exotic types. It's even more worthwhile because - such plants are easier to take care of, are often cheaper and widely accessible.

These traditional gardens are known as rustic gardens. The character that best describes it is homely. Gardens that are arranged in this style are usually surrounded by wooden fences or a border made from solid rock that emphasises its natural character.

Most important in style of rustic gardens is to buy...very common flowers that can be found everywhere. In rustic gardens there are plenty of colorful flowers. We can also find small corners to spend a quiet and peaceful time with the person we love. This all serves to create a space that brings us back the times where everything was simpler and natural.

It's worth making a space like this in our surroundings so that we can spend relaxing times there.

By: michal costaminnego

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

If you like gardening and are interested in garden design see those garden buildings and luxury gazebos and read the Liveoutside.co.uk Blog.

Balconies – spring and summer arrangements

You would like to see spring as beautiful as it can be? There is nothing easier! With a little effort we can change an ordinary looking balcony into a garden almost at our home.

At the balcony we can plant a different kind of flowers. The most important is to decide which site is sunny and how much time do we want to spend on taking care of our plants. We can plant roses in the boxes – the small types need more time to take care of them but the variety of colors can amaze not only fans of roses. Roses are feeling the best when they are covered against the strong wind and are not in a very sunny place and not too dark either.

An interesting choice might be also fuchsia , which is having its own big coming back right now. It has been forgotten for a little time but now people are still fond of it. This really beautiful flower has almost 200 hundred different species in colors that you can even imagine – from pink, violet, to something similar of mixing them. There are smaller and bigger species – and it is not hard to make it how we want the plant to look like cause it can be easily changed, formed and cut. The flowers of fuchsia are very original and decorative, that it can be planted in a small, ordinary pot and that's it. This plant like watering and a little bit of shade.

If we don't want to have flowers in our home we can decide on having herbs at the balcony. There are not only beautiful but very practical and can be used in every kitchen. If we want to make an interesting composition we should focus on the colors of leaves and their shapes. Basil looks especially beautiful in the pots. The most decorative one has a violet leaves and is called "Magic Mountain". Almost as beautiful as basil is pepper mint (as it is sometimes called Variegata) with spotted leaves. We can set it with lavender and add a little bit of thyme that grows at low pillows. The whole composition might be completed be a species of high dill. Melissa would be also perfect because of its wonderful smell.

Of course we have to plant those flowers somewhere. We have a great selection of small and big pots. It’s worth to decide on one style and be consequent. The best choice is having pots that would match our home décor. Contemporary pots are mostly wooden and those one are most fashionable ones. They don’t have to be new or painted. Setting them with natural beauty of flowers will make the perfect match – even if the pot is a little bit old. We can also use watering-can to make a great décor and useful pot. It would be very original to have that kind of pot at our balcony. Other decorative elements might be stones or decorative glass that putted in the pot can make a wonderful ornament. They are in many colors, to find in every gardening shop.

As we can see our own balcony doesn’t have to be boring and traditional. We can design it as we would design our own garden. So let’s make it a happy place for us, our plants and the people that would pass by our balcony in amazement of its beauty.